Ben Healy has put in one of the rides of his life to mount an aggressive effort to try and take Ireland's first medal in an elite road World Championships race for 25 years. Not since Chambéry in 1989 - when Sean Kelly was 3rd behind Greg Lemond and Dmitri Konychev - has Ireland taken a medal.
However, Healy has underlined his status as a generational talent for the Irish over the last couple of years and when he went on the attack today, Irish cycling dared to dream as he raced in the medal positions for over 50km, though ultimately just came up short.
Archie Ryan also put in a very, very strong performance, taking 21st after 273.9km of racing after helping Healy earlier in the race.
Healy began jumping around off the front with 70km to go in pursuit of the rampant new champion Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia), who had blasted off the front - and across to the breakaway group - with 100km remaining and before any of the other big names had made even one move.
Advertisement
Healy eventually got clear with Toms Skujiņš (Latvia) and then spent the final three laps of the racing chasing the line leader, dropping Oscar Onley (Great Britain) who had initially been with the duo.
Though Onley was scooped up by the defending champion, Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), that duo got to within about 15 to 20 seconds of Healy and Skujiņš and could get no closer, before behind absorbed by the select chasing group containing Remco Evenepoel (Belgium).
Tadej Pogačar is World Champion ??
Attacking with 100km to go, the Slovenian completes the triple crown of the Giro, Tour de France and Worlds in one season ?#Zurich2024 pic.twitter.com/SkzXDXXNv9
— Eurosport (@eurosport) September 29, 2024
As they went into the final lap, Healy and Skujiņš were one minute behind lone leader Pogačar. However, when they moved onto the hardest climb, just after the finish area, the duo accelerated and close over 10 seconds to the Slovenian, bringing the gap down to 45 seconds.
Though Healy and Skujiņš were gaining a little, they were now being chased by Switzerland's Marc Hirschi, who attacked the select chasing group and went off in pursuit of Healy and Skujiņš.
However, the Hirschi chased then stalled a little and it was Enric Mas (Spain) who attacked from the select chase group with 20km to go. Mas joined up with Hirschi and began chasing after Healy and Skujiņš, closing to within 10 seconds with 18.5km to go.
Related News
Healy and Skujiņš were continuing to work brilliantly together, chipping the gap to lone leader Pogačar back to 40 seconds, and then it dipped below that; 37 seconds the ticker showed with over half the last lap remaining, some 17km from the finish.
But just then, Hirschi and Mas caught Healy and Skujiņš. That made for a four-man group behind Pogačar, at 39 seconds, with Evenepoel and Van der Poel also catching them, swelling the chasing group to seven, which was 42 seconds down on Pogačar with 16km to go.
For a time - about 5km or so - it looked like the lone leader was wavering and that that chasers may catch him after he had been on the attack for almost 100km. However, none of those behind appeared to have the legs to attack in a bid to get across the gap.
Van der Poel tried with 9km to go and he managed to split the chasing group, though the gap to Pogačar had edged back out to 50 seconds at that point. Healy one of those looking laboured at the back as Van der Poel attacked as he was distanced with O'Connor and Evenepoel.
Pogačar was still leading solo, though really starting to grovel, when Hirschi attacked the chase group with 5.5km to go. As he was closed down, Healy got back into that group and was still in the hunt for a medal, even attacking with just under 5km to go.
Healy was then closed by Van der Poel before Skujiņš also attacked and was closed down, with Healy again just drifting off the back of the group, keeping Evenepoel for company. But when Healy got back on once more with 3.5km to go, the Irish rider attacked again; getting a gap, only to be chased by Skujiņš towing the others up to him.
Just 1km later, with 2.5km to go, Pogačar's advantage was back just above 45 seconds and he looked like he had gold in the bag after a nervous final lap. Behind, Healy attacked yet again, but was chased down once more by Van der Poel, before O'Connor attacked the chase group and got clear.
And that's how it stayed, an emotional and delighted Pogačar winning it solo, with O'Connor also coming home on his own for silver; just 34 seconds between them in the end. And the sprint for bronze won by Van der Poel, some 58 seconds down on the winner, with Healy 7th.
Skujiņš, one of the heroes of the day, was 4th with Evenepoel 5th and Hirschi in 6th followed by Healy, then Mas. And 1:17 later - some 2:18 down on the winner - came Quinn Simmons of the USA for 9th with Romain Bardet (France) alongside, taking 10th in his last Worlds.
Archie Ryan also showed his one-day racing credentials today; the elite Worlds debutant in 21st at 6:04. Eddie Dunbar, after a brilliant double stage win at La Vuelta, was 67th at 12:09; the Cork rider always better suited to stage racing than the one-day events.
Conn McDunphy, who worked for the team in the early part of the race, was among the non-finishers today, but his selection for these Worlds has followed a brilliant season for him.
